


Last Chance Surprise

by LittleTayy



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: 2nd person narrative, F/M, Slightly Dysfunctional Relationships, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:08:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 20,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26356228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleTayy/pseuds/LittleTayy
Summary: The casual sex Mark and Addison had been engaging in before the no sex bet causes some unexpected results. Set during Season 3. AU. Maddison.
Relationships: Addison Montgomery/Mark Sloan
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

**Last Chance Surprise**

..

**in these uncertain times**

* * *

It’s fourteen days into your no sex bet with Mark when you start to feel sick. You’re nauseous and exhausted - you feel so drained you’ve almost fallen asleep at the nurses station multiple times over the last week. On call rooms have become your best friends as of late; and not for illicit purposes, though Mark wiggles his eyebrows playfully any time he sees you heading for one. 

A whiff of Karev’s cologne one morning has you turning green, hurtling for the nearest restroom, Callie following you in worriedly. “Addison...you okay?” Callie asks and you feel her pulling back your hair and you can’t help but think she’s a good friend. 

Ten minutes later and you’re washing your hands, gazing tiredly at your reflection in the mirror as Callie leans against the sinks. “Can’t believe you still look good after throwing up like that,” Callie teases, casting her gaze over you. 

You can’t help but chuckle, shaking your head. “At least I feel a little better now,” you tell her when you catch her worried gaze, answering her before she can even ask. 

An eyebrow raised. “Really? No more sick feeling? Cause I was gonna suggest you should go home or something…” Callie tells you and you sigh, turning to face her properly; hip resting against the counter. 

“Honestly, I feel fine Callie. Still tired but it’s just one of those weeks, I think,” you tell her with a small smile and a shrug. “But hey, at least it’s kept my mind off the  _ no sex _ ,” you joke, throwing her a playful look. 

However, the mention of the no sex bet, triggers something in your mind. You frown as you contemplate everything you’ve been feeling in the last few weeks and then you’re counting back the days and you realise you’re late. 22 days late, in fact and you gasp in alarm. 

“Addie?” 

It’s then you remember that Callie is standing in front of you. You look up at her, eyes wide and mouth dropped open in shock. 

“Callie, I think...I mean, I need you to take my blood. Right now,” you insist, almost desperately. 

You watch her brows furrow. “What? Addison...what’s going on?” She asks and you grab her hand, dragging her towards the restroom door. 

You take a moment, wondering whether to spill your suspicion to the ortho surgeon. But Callie has been a good friend to you so far and you feel like you can trust her. Hell, she already knew about the first baby and the abortion you had. 

“I think I might be... _ pregnant _ ,” you whisper to her urgently, glad that the bathroom is empty. You’d be mortified if that little tidbit of gossip somehow made its way out. The nurses have no scruples when it comes to gossip. 

“What?!” Callie exclaims, her eyes wide, her expression shocked but somehow delighted. “Sloan?” She questions after a moment, name drawled carefully. 

Your face crumples, a pout on your lips as you nod. You glare as she whistles even though you can see she’s just trying to lift your mood. “What are you going to do if you are?” She asks as you both make your way as discreetly but quickly as you can towards a deserted exam room. 

“I don’t know,” you tell her, despite the fact you’ve been thinking about a baby a lot lately. One thing you know almost for certain though, is that you want the baby. If there is one; you won’t be getting another abortion.

You step into an exam room, Callie following closely behind and you’re glad to see how private it is. You’re in a daze as Callie takes your blood and you’re grateful when she keeps your name off of them. You’re still sitting on the exam table when Callie gets back from dropping the blood test off, wringing your hands as you try to think of what you’re going to do. 

“You know, we could always just go up to Obs and commandeer an ultrasound machine,” Callie jokes, arms crossed as she leans against the door. 

You can’t help but laugh at the idea, shaking your head. “I’m not sure that’d be a good look,” you say, though the amusement is clear in your tone. 

“You’re the Head of Obstetrics!” She exclaims. “You should be able to commandeer anything you want up there,” Callie tells you with a grin. 

You laugh because she’s right. But you’d rather not risk anyone finding out just yet. You’re about to say as much when your pager goes off and you’re suddenly reminded you’re meant to be working; the  _ both _ of you. 

“I have to go deliver a baby,” you say, pushing up off the exam table as Callie straightens up too. “Page me when you get the results back. Please?” 

Callie nods and then you’re both exiting the room and going your separate ways. 

.

.

It’s close to 6pm when you trudge into the Attendings lounge, intending to grab your stuff quickly and get back to the Archfield. You pause for a moment as you pull out your handbag; if you’re really pregnant you’re going to have to find a house or an apartment. A hotel is no place to raise a baby. 

Of course you try to shake the thought off, you don’t even know if you’re actually pregnant yet. But the more you thought about it as the day wore on, the more convinced you’ve become. All the signs are there and you rack your brain to try and figure out a conception date. It is, embarrassingly, harder than you thought it’d be to pinpoint - you and Mark had been sleeping together rather frequently before the sex bet. 

By your current symptoms though, you’d estimate you’re at least 5 weeks pregnant. And as you make your way out of the attendings lounge, you’re glad to see Callie waiting for you; test results in hand. At least if you can see your hCG levels, you know you can figure out just how pregnant you actually are. 

It doesn’t even surprise you when Callie nods, handing the results over. She knows you well. You need to see them for yourself so you can finally realise your suspicions were right. “Thank you,” you murmur to your brunette friend as she falls in step beside you. 

“So?” She asks as your eyes take in the results and readings in front of you. 

Your hCG levels are higher than you expected them to be and you realise you must be six weeks along. Almost seven weeks in fact. 

With that information in hand, one night stands out in your mind. The night after the woman with the toxic blood incident. You remember how  _ worried _ Mark had been about you and you remember how surprisingly intimate your evening with him had been. The fact you’d been deliciously sore for days after had annoyingly boosted Mark’s ego to a ridiculous degree. 

It seems fitting, you think, that that’s the night he got you pregnant.  _ Again _ . 

Silently, you curse yourself for not using protection. But you had both wanted to feel each other -  _ all _ of each other and it wasn’t like it had never happened before. In fact, thinking back, you realise Mark is the only man you’d ever been so reckless with. Even with Derek you had been careful. Mark just always seems to make you lose all sense. 

“Addison?” You hear Callie’s voice and you pull your eyes away from the results. You’d completely forgotten she was even there for a moment. 

“Sorry,” you murmur, tucking the test results into your handbag as you gaze over at your friend. “I guess I’m just trying to process…” you tell her and frankly it’s the truth. 

Mark has managed to get you pregnant twice in a year. It’s ridiculous really. Fourteen years with Derek and not even a  _ scare _ ; two hot albeit one misguided, nights with Mark and you’re sufficiently knocked up. He’s got to have some kind of super sperm. 

You can’t help but wonder how many potential illegitimate children Mark Sloan has running around out there. You can’t believe you’re going to add to the number. It’s uncharitable to think, you know it is, Mark is your friend but you can’t deny that there’s a good chance Mark really does have a child out there he doesn’t know about. 

Which leads you to realise that you can’t keep  _ this _ child from Mark. From his point of view you’ve already taken one of his children from him; even if it’d been the right choice at the time. You sigh as you and Callie stop at your car, your mind focused on Mark and the embryo inside you. You need to tell him but you truly don’t know how; especially with the current bet between you both. 

“Yeah. It’s probably a lot to take in. But...it’s a good thing isn’t it?” Callie asks. 

The question freezes you. Is it a good thing? You’re not quite sure yet. Your life is nowhere near what you’d thought it would be but you do want a child - even if you hadn’t thought it’d happen quite like this. You're not terrified like you were last year and it’s still not an ideal situation; but you think it will be a good thing. 

“I think so. I suppose I just need to get used to the idea,” you tell her with a smile and a slight chuckle. “I-Callie...please don’t tell anyone, okay? Especially not George. I don’t need the interns knowing because then it’ll only be a matter of time before Grey tells Derek and I can’t handle that right now. Plus, I need to tell Mark first…” 

You let out a sigh of relief as Callie nods and you can see she gets it. “Of course! Addison, my lips are sealed,” she assures you and you smile. 

“Thank you Callie,” you breathe with relief. You truly don’t know how you’d get through your days without Callie, she’s become one of your closest friends here in Seattle. One of your only friends really; you can’t count Mark as a friend anymore, not when he makes you lose all sense and you’re pregnant with his child. 

“No problem. Go home, rest or whatever. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Callie tells you with a smile and makes her way towards her own car. 

You watch as she leaves before getting into your car and heading for the Archfield. You’ve got a lot of thinking to do. 

* * *

It had been over two weeks since you’d found out you were pregnant and Callie is still the only other person to know. You  _ know _ you should tell Mark but you’ve still got the whole no sex bet going on; which you realise, is complicating things a bit. You’d told Mark that if he could go 60 days without sex, you’d give him a chance and though you’d never admit it, you want him to pass. Your own part in the no sex bet barely crosses your mind. 

The problem is the fear you have at telling him about your pregnancy. He’d be wary but excited and you know that’d push him to take the sex bet even more seriously then he is already. You don’t want him to want you just because of the pregnancy. You want to know he wants you for, well,  _ you _ . It’s ridiculous and Callie has told you as much but you can’t help it - you’ve already been hurt too much in the past few years. 

You’re bringing a child into the world and if you and Mark are to have a relationship; you don’t want it to be based purely on the child. You  **won’t** subject your child to the kind of upbringing you’d had with Bizzy and the Captain. And though you don’t want to admit it, you know Mark would understand that - his own upbringing as empty as yours. 

So no, you’re not prepared to tell Mark about the baby. Not yet anyway. Callie thinks you’re being dumb and you don’t know how but she’s managed to wrangle a promise out of you; whether Mark lasts the sixty days or not, you have to tell him. You were a little offended when she brought it up but you had to admit, at least to yourself that the younger woman knows you. Apparently well. 

You’ve been feeling like shit for the last few weeks that you’ve almost forgotten your part in the bet. If Mark wasn’t having sex, neither are you. Frankly, the way you’ve been hugging the toilet morning, noon and night, sex has been the last thing on your mind. You’re sure that the surgical wing thinks you’ve got one persistent flu - you hope so anyway. Callie can only cover for you for so long. 

Mark however, has gotten more persistent and considerate in the last week. He’s stopped the dirty jokes and suggestions and instead been watching you with worry clear in his eyes. He’s started bringing you tea in the mornings and chicken soup to your hotel room at night. If you didn’t know better you’d think he knew you’re pregnant. Because of course, if he knew  _ that _ he’d have asked you - there’s not a part of him that’d keep silent about that. 

You’re on your lunch break, a measly hospital salad in front of you because it’s light enough not to set off your stomach, when Mark slides into the seat beside you. You’re focused on the lettuce, trying to ignore the intense look Mark is giving you. From the corner of your eye you can see he is relaxed back in his seat, dark scrubs setting off his eyes and an amused smirk on his lips. It takes everything in you not to stare, his ego is already big enough. 

“You still got that  _ flu _ ?” He drawls and the way he says it, you worry he knows the truth. But you shake it off - there’s no way he could possibly know. 

You simply roll your eyes in reply, finally lifting the lettuce to your lips. Your lack of a verbal answer doesn’t seem to deter him, it never has in fact. 

“Cause, I know I’m irresistible. But I didn’t think you’d go and get yourself sick just to stop yourself from jumpin’ me,” he teases and you can’t help but laugh at his words. 

You realise too late that that was his intention all along. But despite your realisation, you can’t help the warmth that spreads through you at the thought of him trying to cheer you up. It’s sweet and it doesn’t surprise you because Mark’s always been that way with you. It’s part of the reason your feelings grew from friendship to something a little more for him. 

“Oh yes, I just want you that  _ badly _ ,” you tease right back, actually enjoying the light banter. 

You’re both grinning at each other, Mark clearly ready to reply with some kind of innuendo when you realise you’ve been overheard. Derek is standing not far from you both and by the look on his face, you know he’s heard your words. You freeze for a moment before realising that you no longer have to  _ care _ what Derek thinks; though a part of you still does. You’re going to have Mark’s child, even if no one else knows that yet, so you figure there’s no point worrying about what Derek thinks any longer. You two aren’t married and he’s been perfectly clear about how he feels for you now. 

“Something we can help you with Dr. Shepard?” You ask, the petty part of you enjoying the strained look that flickers over Derek’s face at your use of  _ we _ . Mark, you can tell, is amused. 

“I need Dr. Sloan for a consult,” Derek replies tightly, gaze flicking between you and Mark before settling on the other man. 

“Ah,” Mark sighs as he pushes himself up from his seat. “Well, duty calls. I’ll see you later Addie,” Mark tells you, winking at you playfully. 

You can’t help but smile at the gesture. You wonder if it means he’ll turn up at your door with dinner because despite your vomiting jaunts, you’ve enjoyed him bringing or sending you meals. Maybe you’ll even let him convince you to eat together tonight. 

Watching him leave with Derek you can’t believe how easily he can turn your mood around. You’re still worried over everything, of course. Whether to tell him now or after the bet is over is constantly weighing on your mind. It’s not that you’re planning to keep it from him forever but you just don’t know when the right time is. Nausea swirls in your stomach and you give up on the lousy salad; you move to stand up, the nausea strong and feel a wave of dizziness wash over you. 

Black spots dance before your eyes and as you move to pick up your tray, your body feels heavy. You take a few deep breaths before darkness crashes in on you. 

.

.

Your eyelids feel heavy and you feel sick. It’s not a good combination and you want to throw up but you want to at least wait until you can open your eyes. You groan, feeling downright  _ icky _ and no it’s not a medical diagnosis but it’s the accurate way to describe how you feel. 

Slowly, you open your eyes as you hear people talking around you. You grimace as the bright lights of a hospital room greet you and you wonder how you got from the courtyard to here. Miranda Bailey and two of her damn interns are there, so is Richard and to your surprise, so are Derek and Mark. All look worried but it’s Mark you direct a soft smile towards. 

“Welcome back sleeping beauty,” Mark says, the first to speak and you can see Derek’s eyes roll. Miranda and Richard don’t look particularly impressed either. 

“What happened?” You ask, choosing to ignore him for the moment, gaze flitting to Miranda’s. This is clearly  _ not _ a surgical case but she’s checking you over anyway. 

“You fainted Montgomery. In the courtyard,” Miranda tells you and you can already feel the heat rushing to your cheeks. Fainting in public is bad enough, it’s even worse in your book considering you’re an Attending. You can only  _ imagine _ what people are saying about it. 

“Oh,” is all you murmur, your embarrassment clear. “I’m feeling fine now though,” you announce, pushing yourself up into a better position. “I can get back to work,” you insist but already you know that won’t work. 

“Not going to happen Addison,” and this time it’s Richard answering. You turn your eyes to the man and though you see him as a sort of father figure, you know you won’t be able to talk your way out of this. “You’ve been sick for over a week and now you’ve fainted. You need to lay there and rest. I have half a mind to send you home until you’re not throwing up or passing out on us,” Richard continues, arms crossed as he gazes at you worriedly. 

You sigh, nodding in acceptance. You know there’s no use in arguing with him. “Fine.” 

Two sets of eyebrows raise in surprise and you know it’s because they’ve never heard you accept being sidelined so easily. You glance at Mark and Derek out of the corner of your eye and can’t help the little grin on your lips as you realise how worried both look. It amuses you, if only because you know they are probably both confused by your behavior. 

It’s Miranda’s voice now that cuts through your amusement. “Alright. She’s awake now. I’m sure she’s enjoying the gawking but let her rest. Don’t you have patients to see?” Miranda says sharply, her shrewd gaze on Mark and Derek. Mark looks amused and Derek looks alarmed as they nod and head for the door. 

“I’ll spring ya outta here soon Red, don’t worry,” Mark throws over his shoulder as he exits and you can’t help but giggle a little. A giggle that dies down at the knowing gaze of Miranda. She’s ushered her interns out the door too and Richard’s not far behind. 

“Rest, Addison. I can’t have one of my star surgeons ill,” he tells you but you know he too is worried. 

You expect Miranda to leave too but instead she shuts the door behind the Chief and turns to look at you. You try not to squirm under her scrutiny but you can’t help it. 

“You gonna tell me what’s wrong Montgomery? Or should I wait for the blood results?” Miranda starts and you sigh a little. It’s clear she knows  _ something _ and you trust her, especially after she helped you with your poison oak situation. 

“I’m pregnant,” you say eventually, letting a hand stray low on your stomach and a small smile settle on your lips. 

You watch Miranda and you’re not surprised when she doesn’t seem all that surprised. “Didn’t think it was a three week flu you had,” she scoffs, shaking her head a little. Her gaze settles back on you then and you’re surprised by the spark of curiosity you can see in her eyes. “Do you know how far along you are?” She asks and you grin. 

“Nine weeks and a day,” you tell her softly. You’re happy about this and you hope if you can convey that, Miranda will be happy for you too. 

“Nine weeks… Do you...uh,” and she stutters here, waving a hand around in front of her. It’s clear to you what she’s trying to ask and you feel your cheeks flush once again. 

“It’s Mark’s,” you tell her softly. 

Miranda scoffs then, shaking her head. “Couldn’t keep ya knees closed around him, hm?” She teases, harkening back to an early conversation you’d had with Miranda when Mark had first started working at Seattle Grace. That seemed so long ago in comparison. 

“I told you I lose sense around him!” You spout, huffing a little though there’s no weight to it. You can’t convince yourself any longer that you’re as opposed to Mark as you’d like people, him included, to believe. 

Miranda simply gazes at you, lips pursed in the way she’s wont to do. You simply look at each other for a moment before she shakes her head. And you know that will be the end of that conversation. You’re grateful that Miranda is choosing not to question your decisions too much regarding Mark. 

“You’re probably dehydrated and got low blood sugar. I’ve seen the way you’ve been vomiting all week. You need to start eating better or more at least,” Miranda advises though you both know you know all this already. In fact, you’re usually the one giving this advice; it’s odd to be on the other side receiving it. “I’m going to get you hooked up with an IV and get some more fluid in you. You’ve gotta do better Montgomery,” Miranda admonishes and you can’t help but grimace sheepishly. 

“I know, I know,” you murmur. “I’ve been trying but I can’t keep anything down. What’d you do about morning sickness?” You ask her, slumping back a little in the hospital bed and hoping she’ll have some good advice. 

“My morning sickness wasn’t too bad. But you can never go wrong with saltines and ginger ale,” she tells you and you chuckle. It’s the same thing you’ve said to your patients thousands of times. 

“I’ll try it,” you say, giving her a smile. She seems to be done now and is heading for the door. “Oh, Miranda. Could you not mention...my situation to anyone? I haven’t told Mark yet and I don’t want him to hear it from anyone else,” you call out to her softly. 

You can see her considering you and your words before nodding. “Not a word from me. Don’t worry. But tell him soon, I’m sure there’s already bets going around about what’s wrong with you,” she informs you and you can’t help but shake your head. Mostly because you know she’s probably right. 

.

.

One minute you were glaring at the nurse hooking up your IV and the next you’re waking up to Mark Sloan lounging around in the seat next to your bed. You weren’t officially admitted but you’d cleared your patients for the day considering Miranda and Richard didn’t think you could even stand on your own. You hate being confined to a bed but you can’t deny how well rested you feel now that you’ve woken up. 

“Mark?” You call out to him as you watch him so focused on his phone. You have a sneaking suspicion he’s got a game of Snake going on. You smirk as he startles, he’d clearly been engrossed. 

“Red!” He grins at you, seeming happy to see you awake. His wide smile and caring eyes send warmth shooting through you. “You’re awake. Was worried you were gonna sleep through the night and I was gonna have to sleep in this chair,” he continues, complaining playfully as he sits up straight and stretches a little. 

You shake your head. “You wouldn’t have to stay with me,” you tell him, stretching a little yourself. 

Mark simply smiles and shakes his head. “I know that. But I want to Addie. I’ve been worried about you. You’ve been very sick lately…” he trails off then and you can see clearly just how worried he’s actually been. It surprises you but you know it shouldn’t. Mark cares about you, he always has. 

You sigh, frowning a little as you realise you need to tell him. As touching as it is that he’s so worried for you; you don’t want him to worry anymore. Knowing Mark he’s probably deduced your recent bout of illness to some kind of incurable cancer. You’d rather not have him thinking you’re dying. 

“I have been very sick lately,” you agree with a nod, wrapping your hands around each other nervously. “But I’m not  _ sick _ per se…” you continue, hesitating for a moment. Your eyes meet his and you can see the worry and confusion mix. “I’m pregnant Mark. Nine weeks.” 

You exhale. You’ve finally told him and the weight you’ve been carrying around has finally lifted. But the anxiety rears its head as you watch Mark, trying to figure out what he’s thinking. 

His eyes flit between your face and your stomach and you see he’s processing. “Nine weeks,” he murmurs, brows furrowing a little. “When you went in to put that girl with the toxic blood under again?”

“Yeah,” you say with a nod, eyes still focused on the man. And you can see he’s thinking about that intimate night you’d spent together. You’d both been exhausted the next day and the fact you couldn’t walk properly the next day had made him unbearably smug. 

“So it’s...mine?” He asks almost cautiously and you can’t really blame him. The last time you’d been pregnant with his child you’d terminated it after all. 

“Yes,” you reply firmly. You seek out his gaze and can see the unasked question in them. “I’m keeping the baby. I want this child Mark.” 

You hadn’t expected the sigh of relief but you had expected the grin. “Really?” 

“Really,” you echo back to him and you’ve barely got the word out before his lips are on yours. 

You grin into the kiss despite yourself, hands coming up to cup his cheeks as you kiss him back. It’s a quick kiss though and he pulls back quickly, sitting on the edge of his seat. One of his hands has found yours and he’s squeezing enthusiastically. 

“We’re going to have a baby Red. I want to be involved. Anything you need… I want to be a Dad, Addison. I know you think I’d be a terrible father but please, give me the chance to show you differently-“

“Mark,” you interrupt because you can see where he’s going with this. “I-I’m sorry for saying that. Our situation back then was _ very  _ different to our situation now though. I want this baby to have both their parents but that being said...there’s still a lot  _ we _ need to figure out,” you tell him, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. 

He sighs but nods. “You’re right, of course. But I just...I want you to know I’m in Addison. You  _ know _ I love you and I want this to work out. I want to be a family with you.” 

You can’t help but smile at his words. This was the kind of love you’d thought you wanted with Derek. You never expected this from Mark and somehow, that makes it feel better for you. Mark wants you, Mark’s been choosing you for so long now and you think it’s about time you let yourself choose him too. 

“I know you do. I want that too Mark,” you tell him softly, your smile wide as you gaze into each other’s eyes. 

“You do?” He questions and you can’t fault him for asking, for making sure. 

You nod, reaching out your hand to take one of his, entwining your hands together. “Yes. You’re changing Mark and I suppose I haven’t ever really given you enough credit for that. The Mark from New York wouldn’t have agreed to a no sex bet…” you shrug then, lips pressing together as you try to think of what to say next. “We’re going to have a child together. I have to see you for the man you are  _ now _ . And that’s...well, that’s my issue. Not yours,” you admit sheepishly. 

Mark is simply watching you with a grin on his face. It’s slightly unnerving. “Thank you,” he murmurs after a moment and you don’t even know what for. It must be clear on your face because he continues. “For giving me a chance. To be with you and to be in the baby’s life. And just so you know...I think we should both stick to the bet. As much as I enjoy sex, especially with you Red, we need a foundation that isn’t built on it. Especially with a baby coming,” Mark tells you and you’re surprised by the maturity and can’t agree more with his assessment. 

Thus begins the start of your dating life with Mark. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently, I had more to say about this universe. The chapter title comes from the son Orion's Belt by Sabrina Claudio.
> 
> I hope you enjoy. Please review. :) LT.

**Last Chance Surprise**

**..**

**i’ll show you, how we’re supposed to feel**

* * *

You’re 15 weeks pregnant and so horny you can barely concentrate. 

It is utterly absurd the way your hormones are going haywire - not even in college, with newfound sexual freedom, had you been so sex obsessed. It felt almost as if you had no control over your own body and Mark certainly wasn’t helping. Of course it wasn’t that Mark was doing anything in particular but whenever he was in close proximity all you could think about was dragging him into the nearest room and having your way with him. 

Mark had a penchant for tight fitting clothes, he always had and you couldn’t help it if your eyes drifted towards his muscled arms and chiselled face whenever he was in the vicinity. The sex bet had been over for a few weeks now, the both of you having lasted the 60 days but you’d both been disappointed when your morning sickness had lingered. You’d had sex since then and you were giving the relationship an honest shot; but the fact you were exhausted and nauseous almost constantly had put a dampener on things. 

Now though, the hormones have flooded in and your morning sickness has stopped and you’re feeling great. You’re sitting at the nurses station, charts in front of you when your eyes catch a mouthwatering sight. Mark is coming out of the elevator in dark blue scrubs, his biceps bulging against the sleeves and you can quite literally hear yourself gasp. The tip of a finger ends up between your teeth as his eyes meet yours and you cross your legs tighter when you notice the classic Mark Sloan smirk on his perfect face. You can’t help but think that he really is _McSteamy_. 

“Thought I’d find you here,” Mark drawls to you and you barely register his words, simply nodding as you gaze up at him through your lashes. 

Clearly though the man is expecting you to say something in response but you simply can’t get your brain to focus. “Addie? You okay?” Mark asks, frowning a little in worry. He waves a hand in front of your face and you have the irrational urge to suck his fingers into your mouth. You only _just_ stop yourself from leaning forward and taking them between your lips. 

“Oh..uh, yeah,” you stutter and you can feel the heat rising to your cheeks. You have no doubt there’s a fierce blush overtaking your face now. But you don’t care. Glancing around quickly, you stand up, dropping the charts on the desk. “I need to talk to you. Doctor Sloan,” you tell him, gesturing for him to follow and you can’t help but smirk at his worried look. It’s clear he thinks he’s about to get in trouble.

Instead, once you’re in closer proximity you grab his hand and pull him towards the closest on-call room you can find. It’s wrong. Having sex at work is wrong but right now you can’t bring yourself to care. If you don’t feel him inside you within the next 3 minutes you feel like you may just spontaneously combust. 

“Addison-” Mark starts, surprised when you push him into the empty room and slam the door shut behind you. You make sure to lock it as you level him with what you hope is your hungriest gaze. Right now he looks better than the best steak in the world; even when he looks as adorably confused as he does. 

“Fuck me,” you breathe, hands hiking your skirt up your thighs as you lean back against the door. 

“What?” he exclaims, eyes wide but a tell tale smirk on his lips as his eyes travel over your body eagerly. 

“You heard me,” you huff, reaching out for him and pulling him closer. Your hand is on the back of his neck, fingers tangling in his curls and you press your lips against his eagerly; nipping hungrily. 

It’s clearly all the encouragement Mark needs as he presses his body to yours, his hands finding the back of your thighs as he lifts you. Your long legs wrap around his body and you’re so lust-drunk you’d let him do whatever he wanted to you. You pull him into a heated kiss and wonder how you ever thought you didn’t want this man. 

* * *

You’re standing in front of the hotel wardrobe, you still haven’t moved into your new home yet, staring in the mirror. No matter how you’d tried to zip up your favorite black Gucci skirt, the zipper would just no longer budge. Your hands settle on your waist, frowning at your reflection. It seemed as if your stomach had grown overnight; your baby bump had been growing steadily but so far you’d been able to hide it with tactful clothing and slightly baggy scrubs. 

Now though, there was no way to hide that you’re pregnant. Your belly is solidly rounded with an unmistakable baby bump and your breasts are almost double their usual size, just barely contained inside your comfiest bra. You sigh at the realisation that today would have to be the day that your pregnancy becomes common knowledge around the hospital. You’d told Richard just after you’d passed 13 weeks; with your age, frankly you’d been worried about the possibilities of a miscarriage. You’d been pleasantly surprised however when Alex Karev had cornered you a week or so after your fainting spell, asking as tactfully as he could, if you were pregnant. You’d smiled as you confirmed it, smirking at yourself pleased that you were right - Karev did have a knack for the pink and squishy squad. 

Still, as right as you usually are - right now, you’re annoyed. The skirt around your hips is your favorite one and you pout at the thought you won’t be able to wear it anymore. You continue to pout, not wanting to admit that you’re going to have to find a different outfit this morning and not even the thought of a much needed shopping trip is enough to make the pout go away. 

You’re still pouting and half dressed when a knock sounds on your hotel room door and you don’t even need to ask who it is when you go over to open it. Without meaning to, you and Mark now have a routine; you ride into work together and he buys you pastries and hot chocolate for breakfast. You’d tried the decaf coffee at first but it’d been absolutely horrendous. 

“Ah, good morning to you _too_ Addie,” Mark drawls in amusement, a smirk on his face as he lets his eyes linger over your body. You try to ignore the hungry, lustful look he’s giving you because frankly, with your clothing crisis, you both just do not have the time to fuck this morning. Even if it is a quickie. 

“I’m fat,” you blurt out, walking away from the door and leaving it open for him to follow you. You whip around, glaring, when you hear a cough that sounds suspiciously like a laugh. Mark can’t quite hide his amusement quick enough and you continue shooting daggers at him as you settle in front of the mirror once again. 

“You’re not _fat_ Addison. You’re pregnant. You know there’s a difference…” Mark says, following you further into the room. 

You’re still pouting as you glance towards him out of the corner of your eye. “But my clothes don’t fit anymore,” you murmur, voice almost sounding like a whine. You huff as you hear yourself - hating the fact that you’re having such trouble adjusting to your new figure. You know medically and logically that the weight you’re putting on and the growth of your stomach is good for the baby. But the vain part of you hates that you’re no longer a size six. 

You wonder if Gucci or Prada have maternity lines and you decide to look it up whenever you get a free moment. You figure if you’re going to be forced into buying new clothes to accommodate your pregnant body, you may as well buy designer. You won’t be giving up your heels though, no matter how many times Dr. Trevino, your obstetrician, tells you otherwise. 

So wrapped up in your thoughts of designer maternity clothes and your precious shoes, you startle a little when you feel Mark’s hands on your waist. He’s behind you now, holding you gently in his hands and you feel yourself relax back against him. 

“If you need new clothes, that just means we’ll have to go on a shopping trip,” he muses against your ear, his eyes finding yours in the reflection of the mirror. He looks at you so adoringly it takes your breath away. 

You simply look for a moment, the image reflecting back at you, is surprising. When you’d imagined being pregnant; Mark was not the man you’d imagined would be comforting you and offering to go shopping with you for maternity clothes. It wasn’t his hands you’d imagined cradling your stomach tenderly or whispering sweet, comforting words to you. But staring at the reflection in the mirror, you can’t help but feel that it’s right. 

You hate to compare, even in your own mind, but you know that this isn’t something Derek would’ve done. Oh, he’d have tried to comfort you but he wouldn’t be standing there telling you how gorgeous you are; or how appreciative he is of you growing your child; or how he’s never been more attracted to you knowing that you’re pregnant with his baby. 

That’s all Mark. 

Suddenly the sweet words he’s whispering are making you melt for him - not that it takes much for that these days. You turn around in his arms, shimmying your skirt off as you do and loop your arms around his neck. You kick the skirt away and pull him into a sweet, hungry kiss. You pull back and blue meet blue as you grin. 

“I love you, Mark,” you whisper to him, feeling gorgeous and beautiful and loved in a way only he seems to make you feel. 

An hour and a half later and you’re striding through the doors of Seattle Grace together. It’s no real secret that you two are a couple; after the end of the 60 day bet it would’ve been hard to miss. Derek had been rather stand-offish with you both since. You can’t imagine he’s going to take your pregnancy well. 

You’re in a forest green Diane von Furstenburg wrap dress. With your growing stomach it sits a little higher on your legs but not inappropriately so, it was the only outfit that had fit in a way you liked. Your shoes are classic black stiletto heels and because you were feeling good after your morning romp with Mark, they’re red bottoms to boot. Your hair is free and long, with the natural waviness that you usually straighten out. 

All in all, you look good and you feel good. 

With Mark’s hand in yours as you head for the elevator, you’re content to ignore the looks from the nurses and other doctors. You thankfully don’t have to wait long for the elevator and when it comes you smirk as you see two familiar first year residents. Stevens and Yang both eye you curiously as they step off the elevator; Stevens’ eyes growing wide as she grins. “Congratulations,” she calls as you and Mark step onto the elevator. 

Once the doors close, you hear Mark chuckle beside you. “What are you laughing at?” You ask, turning to lean into his side a little. 

“By the time we get to the surgical floor everyone will know,” Mark muses, smirking as he squeezes your hand gently. You laugh yourself at his words, knowing they’re probably true; you just _know_ Izzie Stevens won’t be able to keep it to herself. 

You’re still grinning at each other with amusement when the elevator stops and opens with a ding. On the other side of the metal doors is Derek. Mark notices him first, smirk dulling just a little as he looks at the man you know he still considers his best friend. Slowly you turn your head to look at your ex-husband and your own grin fades a little when you see his gaze on your obviously pregnant belly. 

“Derek,” Mark starts, stopping the doors from closing on them. 

But Derek just shakes his head, throwing a look of pure disdain and disgust at the both of you. “I’ll take the stairs,” he mutters, turning away from the elevator fast. 

You sigh as Mark lets the doors close, his shoulders dropping slightly and a little of the happy glow you’d been sporting fades. 

* * *

You’re going to find out whether the baby is a boy or a girl today and you couldn’t be happier. The last two weeks have been odd since revealing your pregnancy, especially with the attitude you and Mark are copping from Derek. You hadn’t expected him to be thrilled about your news but you’d thought that enough time had passed and you’d both moved on that he wouldn’t be so pissed about it either. 

You have no problem with ignoring Derek and getting on with your life; even though it pains you. But you know this situation is worse for Mark. They were childhood best friends and you know they’d always thought they’d be bonding over one of them having a child. Instead, you tore them apart. You haven’t brought that up with Mark because you know it pains him enough already but you can’t help but feel guilty. 

You try not to think about that though, when you leave your hands together and he leads you into Dr. Trevino’s office. Dr. Clara Trevino had been a careful, deliberate pick; you didn’t want anyone at the hospital knowing you were pregnant at the time. So you’d chosen an OB/GYN halfway across Seattle and thoroughly vetted her; irrationally at first you’d wanted Nancy because you knew not just anyone could be your OB. 

Thankfully the first time you’d met Dr. Trevino, she’d put you right at ease. She was good at what she did and even had the patience to answer Mark’s questions, that you yourself didn’t always have the patience for. You were grateful she’d been able to take you on, even though you suspect she’d have found a way to fit you in. You are, after all, rather legendary in maternal-fetal medicine. 

“Are you excited?” You ask Mark, turning to look at him as you ride up in the elevator. You’re trying to mask your own slight excitement; you know the anatomy scan isn’t all about the sex of the baby but for some reason it’s all you can think about right now. You want your baby to be healthy overall but still, you’ve been excited for this. 

“Course I am!” Mark replies with a wide grin, eyes alight with excitement. “We’ll finally know _for sure_ that we’re having a little girl,” he tells you smugly. 

He’s had a feeling since you told him about the baby that it’d be a girl. He’s been insistent about it even. And you’d decided to be contrary, referring to the baby as he even though you’ve secretly had the feeling it’s a girl also. You don’t want to get yours or his hopes up and more importantly, you don’t really want to give him the satisfaction of being right. You have no doubt he’d take it as a sign of his God-like ability to be right, his words obviously. 

You shake your head in amusement though. He’s been so thoroughly enthusiastic about the impending fatherhood that it rather scares you. You worry that the baby will come and he’ll realise that being a father isn’t what he wants. You know he’s matured but you’re just not sure if he’s matured that much and sometimes you panic at the thought of raising the baby alone. You could do it alone, you know you could but you really, _really_ don’t want to. 

These were the same worries you’d had in New York, the last time you were pregnant. Those circumstances though were so completely different to your circumstances now. You still worry though that you and Mark won’t last but then you’ll catch him looking at you like you’ve hung the stars and your worries ease a little. You can tell he’s working very hard to prove himself to you and you think you might have some proving of your own to do. 

The elevator stops with a ding, announcing the arrival to your floor. You give his hand a squeeze as you depart, making your way into the waiting area. You head straight for the reception desk to sign in and then sit down to wait. You resist the urge to pull out your blackberry and check up on work and instead pull out the list of baby names you’ve been compiling. Mark slings an arm over the back of your chairs, leaning into you to look at the list. 

“Xander? I thought I vetoed that name?” Mark remarks as his eyes narrow a little. 

“No, that was Zane,” you tell him with a smirk and an eye roll. “I don’t know why, I think it’s a nice name,” you insist, looking over at him through your lashes. 

Mark scoffs. “Zane Sloan? Doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue there babe,” he tells you, grimacing a little. You suppose, hearing it out loud, you can hear how it may not sound pleasant to the ears. 

“Montgomery-Sloan,” you quip back intent to tease him. You smirk a little as you watch him sigh and shake his head. Maybe you’ll just do what you do and have Montgomery as another middle name of sorts. 

“Yeah, yeah. What about girls names? I kinda like Hayden. Or Taylor?” Mark suggests, looking at you hopefully. They’re good suggestions and you don’t mind either of them, so you jot them down under the girls section of the Baby Name List. 

You tap your pen against the paper for a moment, thinking. “What about Ashley?” You suggest and Mark nods, whispering for you to write it down just as you’re called for your appointment. 

You both follow the sonographer eagerly to the exam room that’s already set up. You know the process, even though you don’t typically perform these scans but it’s still odd being on the other side. You get yourself situated, Mark beside you and you let the sonographer get started. 

You avoid looking at the screen for now, letting them take the measurements. Finally though, the young sonographer turns the screen more fully towards you and lets you hear the baby’s heartbeat. That’s not what you’re focused on though; your eyes scan the ultrasound critically and you know straight away what you’re having. 

You give Mark’s hand a gentle squeeze, prompting him to look at you as you grin widely. “You know,” he breathes, glancing between you and the ultrasound. He may be a doctor but this is your area of expertise and you know he still can’t quite make out the ultrasound clearly. You’ve had a decade or so of experience. 

You grin happily as your gaze meets his. “We’re having a little girl, Mark.”   
.  
.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” 

You don’t mean to eavesdrop but you were in the stairwell first, trying to escape the pregnant women you’re sure are stalking you, you ignore the fact that you are an obstetrician. By the sound of the voice though you think it might be Meredith Grey and you’re glad you can’t be seen. 

“Seriously Derek? You’re not going to say anything?” She hisses and you can’t help but be suddenly intrigued. 

“This doesn’t concern you Meredith,” you hear your ex-husband say. And you shuffle closer to the railing, knowing you shouldn’t be listening but you don’t particularly care at the moment anyway. 

“Doesn’t concern me?! Are you kidding me? You almost got into a fistfight with Sloan! I’m your girlfriend and that’s concerning,” you hear Meredith snap. Your own body tenses at the mention of Sloan and you suddenly wonder if this is why he’d been in such a foul mood earlier. 

You wait to hear what Derek has to say but the silence is familiar. 

“This is because she’s pregnant isn’t it? Addison. God, I should have known. Ever since you found out she was pregnant you’ve been a moody jackass! It’s ridiculous!” You hear Meredith snap and you cringe. 

“He got her pregnant! _Mark_. She let him get her pregnant!” Derek finally bursts and you shake your head. You can hear the disdain and disgust in his voice and your hormones send tears to your eyes. 

“So what?! She’s your ex-wife. You got _divorced_ Derek. And she can do whatever she wants. Be with whoever she wants! Why can’t you just let it go?” 

There’s a long silence then and you wonder if one of them has walked out. 

“She wouldn’t have a child with me.”

“What?” 

“Eleven years of marriage and she always put me off! _Not yet, Derek! I’m not ready._ And yet she’s barely **with** Mark and suddenly they’re going to play happy fucking families?!” 

“Derek…”

“That should have been my life. I should have been the father of her children. But instead she chooses Mark? Mark, of all people. My ex-best friend and a goddamn manwhore? He’s probably already cheated on her but she picks him… It doesn’t make any goddamn sense Meredith. It doesn’t!” 

You try not to gasp, a hand clamping over your mouth to keep from making any noise. You don’t want to be caught eavesdropping especially not on this conversation. 

“Do you even hear how you sound right now?” You hear Meredith scoff and she sounds incredulous and pained. You think you’d sound that way too if you were in her place. Derek has no right to worry about your life choices any more. 

“...I’m just _concerned_ -“ Derek starts, trying to salvage the conversation or maybe his relationship. 

“Concerned?!” Meredith interrupts loudly. “It sounds a lot more like you’re jealous, Derek. Jealous that your _ex-wife_ is having a baby with your best friend.” 

“He’s not my best friend!” Derek snaps and you can just picture the look on his face as he says it. 

“Then why do you care? You’ve moved on. She’s allowed to move on too! Even if it is with Mark Sloan. They’re together, Derek. They’re a couple! If you can move on, why can’t they?” Meredith hissed out and frankly, you’re glad she’s asking these questions because you’d like to know the answers too. 

“Because she’s mine!” You hear Derek snap coldly and your body straightens sharply and your eyes grow wide. 

“Excuse me?” You can hear the wariness in Meredith’s voice and you can’t blame her. Just because you and Derek had been married did not mean he had any kind of _ownership_ over you. 

“That’s- _shit_. That’s not what I meant Mer…” Derek says and you can imagine he’s reaching for her to try and stop her from fleeing. The petty part of you hopes that she does. 

“Then what did you mean?” Meredith replies icily and you sigh. You’d been hoping she’d slam the exit door in his face. Derek can be such a colossal jerk sometimes. 

“It’s just...she’s _Addison_. She was my wife-“ 

“Yes Derek! I’m well aware of that fact. Everyone is aware Addison was your wife!” You hear her huff angrily and you can’t blame her. “So what? It’s some...twisted version of if you can’t have her, no one can? Do you still want her?” 

“No! No, Meredith…”

“Then what? Because if you don’t want her, I don’t understand what’s going on…” 

“It’s not about her,” you hear Derek say after a long silence. You frown, tempted once again to lean over the railing to see just what is going on. 

Meredith doesn’t say anything, so Derek continues. 

“Okay. It is about her. Sort of,” You hear Derek sigh. Suddenly you think you know exactly what this is about. “But...it’s just...it’s Mark. We were family, brothers and then he goes and sleeps with my wife and now he gets Addison and a child? He’s getting the things that were _supposed_ to be mine and...it’s just ridiculous! It’s not fair. How is it okay that they blow my world up and they get a happy ending? Even my family are happy for them. What the hell is that?” 

“Derek…” 

“No. I just look at them and...I feel sick. Addison and I were okay for a while. Not friends but at least civil. And Mark and I? I won’t forgive him but I didn’t hate him every time I looked at him. But then he goes and gets her pregnant? And they’re around here acting like the goddamn Wonder Couple? I hate it.”

“You can still _have_ all those things Derek. And you don’t have to engage with them or let it get to you. They didn’t do it to hurt you Derek,” you hear Meredith tell him and you’re surprised she’s defending you. Or maybe, you realise, she’s just being a decent person. 

“I know that. But it’s like they’re rubbing it in my face. Mark was basically crowing, showing that ultrasound around…” 

“He’s excited to be a father. And he’s allowed to be! You could have ignored it,” Meredith snaps. 

“But-!”

“No! No buts! You don’t have to be happy for him but you can’t go around taunting him or hitting him just because he’s happy! Grow the fuck up Derek,” Meredith tells him harshly and you can’t help but smile a little. 

You hear a door slam open and bang shut but you don’t move just yet. Carefully you take a peak over the railing finally, seeing Derek just a floor down. He looks thoughtful and concerned and angry. You wait for him to leave the same way his girlfriend did before getting up and getting on with your day.   
.  
.

That night you’re the one waiting for Mark. Clearly his day had only gotten worse since the appointment earlier and you can’t help but feel bad for him. He’d been so excited finding out about the baby, he’d been beaming and you truly had never seen him so genuinely happy before. You know you can’t force Derek to forgive either of you or at least be civil but you hate how much it hurts Mark to not have his best friend, his _brother_ anymore. Even worse, you hate yourself just a little for being the reason they’re no longer together. 

You sigh, running a hand through your hair as you try to figure out what you can do to fix things. Deep down though you know that the only way for you to fix things would be if you were able to go back in time and never sleep with Mark to begin with. But if you did that, you wouldn’t have the little girl currently kicking your insides and you’re not sure if that’s something you really want to give up; even to salvage Mark and Derek’s friendship. 

You rest a hand on your stomach, right above where your baby is kicking, intending to soothe but you gasp a little in delight when you feel the faint kick against your palm. It’s the first time you’ve been able to feel the baby move on the outside of your stomach. You’ve been feeling flutters and jabs for weeks now but this kicking felt stronger and deliberate and you smile, you can’t wait to tell Mark. 

You’re still grinning stupidly when Mark finally appears in the hospital lobby. You don’t notice him right away, still focused on your stomach and hoping your daughter ( _daughter_ , it amazes you that you’re going to have a daughter) will keep active. Glancing upwards, finally, your eyes meet his brooding gaze and you stand, reaching out your hand for his eagerly. He hesitates, obviously still not in a great mood and after what you overheard in the stairwell, you can’t really blame him but you guide his hand towards your stomach anyway. 

“Addison?” He breathes, frowning only the slightest bit at you and you know he’s wondering what you’re doing. 

Instead of answering his unspoken question, you position his hand on your stomach in the last place the baby had kicked, hoping she’d kick once again. It takes a moment and he’s still looking at you weirdly but the moment you feel the strong kick, you watch his eyes light up in wonder and a wide goofy smile take over his features. 

“She’s kicking,” he whispers in awe, his blue eyes lit up brilliantly. 

“Yeah,” you breathe, a smile on your own face. “That’s our little girl Mark. _Our daughter_ ,” you tell him, gripping his wrist as his hand stays pressed eagerly against your stomach. She kicks a few more times before settling down but neither of you move your hands from where they’re resting. 

You’re surprised when you feel his other hand cup your cheek as he kisses you suddenly but you sink into it. It’s sweet and full of love. He pulls away first, your foreheads resting together as you just breath with each other. “I love you,” he murmurs sincerely. You’ve doubted those words from him in the past but you know, now, that they’re undoubtedly true. 

“I love you too,” you tell him and you do and you don’t plan on ever letting him doubt that. 

You part, though reluctantly and your hand finds his, tangling your fingers together as you finally leave the hospital. You just want to get home and be in your own little cocoon of happiness with Mark. As you make it into the parking lot, you see Derek from the corner of your eye and gently steer Mark away from his direction; your ex-husband looks none too pleased and you just don’t want to have to deal with him tonight, you don’t want Mark to have to deal with him again. 

You may not be able to fix Mark and Derek’s relationship but you’re determined to make Mark as happy and feel as loved, as he makes you. 

* * *

At 24 weeks you’re finally moving into your new home. Initially you’d been looking at apartments but then Mark had mentioned something about a yard and then you’d been house hunting. You’d found the perfect house for the three of you months ago, even though you didn’t talk about the fact that Mark would be living with you. It was just sort of _decided_ ; he wanted to be with you and the baby and there was really no point in finding his own place. Not when he’d be there all the time anyway. 

So you and Mark were going to be living together and it makes you a little nervous. The last time you’d lived together it had ended in, well, disaster. There’d been fights and unsigned divorce papers and unnamed slutty nurses and another pregnancy you never saw through. It had been such a toxic environment, one that you don’t want repeated; not when you’ve got a baby coming in a few short months. 

But things are different now. And it’s not just him saying that, you can actually see it too. It may not be perfect and it may not be the future life you’d imagined but it’s _good_ and so far, it’s working for you both. He’s proving himself to you over and over again; and you’d realised that you needed to let go of the doubts you had about him and the preconceived notions because he really wasn’t the man he’d been in New York. 

In Seattle, he was a man that helped you pick out furniture for your new house together and who accompanied you to every appointment and started reading baby books to your stomach and insisted on playing his terrible rock music to your daughter. He’s not so much as looked at nurses or another woman in five months and though you still do worry about his fidelity; there’s no sense of expectation in you that he _will_ cheat. Which is a big step for you. 

So yes, worry still lingers in your mind at living with Mark Sloan but just not as much anymore. But as you watch him peel off his sweat dampened t shirt, tucking it into the back of his raggedy jeans, in what will be your daughters nursery - you feel lucky. It certainly doesn’t hurt that his body could’ve been sculpted by the Greek gods, as your eyes trail down his toned and muscled back. You’re _captivated_ by the way his muscles flex as he moves the paint roller up and down along the wall, covering the previous beige with a rather pretty shade of light green. 

The rest of the house had been professionally decorated. You were pregnant and you’re both surgeons, you both just didn’t have the time to be moving in and decorating it on your own. It’s convenient. But Mark had insisted that he wanted to set up the baby’s room himself. You’d found it sweet and had readily agreed. You’ve only been here a night and already he’s started on the baby’s room; you hadn’t expected him to get to work so quickly. Not when you barely had the essentials yet, the crib, change table and bassinet you’d ordered online would be coming in a few more works. You can’t wait to watch him attempt to build all three. 

“Aren’t you meant to be unpacking the cutlery?” Mark’s gruff but teasing cuts through your thoughts. “Or are you too busy perving?” he continues, looking at you with that sexy grin of his. 

You can feel the blush rush to your cheeks as your eyes find his and all you can do is smirk. You were caught but in that moment you didn’t really mind. “What? I can’t appreciate the view?” you tease right back, an eyebrow rising playfully and Mark’s smirk widens. He abandons the roller brush carefully and makes his way towards you cockily. 

“You can appreciate a lot more then that if you want,” he drawls seductively, letting his eyes linger over your body. You’ve felt like you’ve gotten fat lately but the way that Mark’s eyeing you hungrily has your doubts dissipating easily. 

“Yeah?” you murmur back, voice breathy as his hands find your hips and pulls you closer. “Good thing the beds all put together then…” you say, reaching for his hand and pulling him eagerly towards your shared bedroom. Mark follows, pressing eager kisses to you neck. 

Later, the nursery still half painted, you’re lounging on your bed, a bowl of double fudge chocolate ice cream in your hands and one of Mark’s button downs buttoned loosely around your frame. Mark’s beside you as you both lean back against the pillows and headboard, his gaze focused on the ball game going on on the television he’d convinced you to put in the bedroom. Your spoonful of ice cream is melting suspended halfway between your mouth and the bowl as you gaze at your lover in the golden light of the afternoon sun. 

“What?” Mark asks, his eyes still on the TV for a moment before his gaze lands on her. ‘You’re staring…” his tone is affectionate and your heart swells. 

You smile at him. “I’m happy, Mark,” you tell him softly, as if it’s a secret that shouldn’t be heard. This is just for you and him. “I’m happier then I’ve ever been,” you admit to him happily. 

Mark grins wide and genuine, blue eyes sparkling with the happiness you know is reflected in your own. He leans over then, surprising and confusing you for a moment, before eating the melting ice cream right off your spoon. His happy face turns yours once again and you can see the love radiating from his eyes. 

“I’m happy too Red,” he tells you sincerely, a mouth full of chocolate ice cream and you can’t help but laugh.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest single chapter I've ever written. It's also fairly detailed, just a mild warning for the back half of the chapter. The chapter title comes from the song Say You'll Be There by the Spice Girls. I am considering continuing this story, let me know what you think. I hope you enjoy. Please review. :)

**Last Chance Surprise**

**..**

**all that joy can bring**

* * *

They want to throw you a baby shower and it's the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard. Callie is insistent and to your surprise, so is Miranda. But you shake your head, the idea is absurd to you; you don't have enough friends here in Seattle for that to work, you think. If they throw you a baby shower, it'll just be you three and maybe Mark because you are most certainly not inviting any of those Goddamn interns ( _residents_ , you correct yourself but that'll take some getting used to). You don't know anyone else well enough to even think about asking them to celebrate your child and you'd thought you'd put a definitive end to the whole idea.

Except, you're turning into your driveway, well Mark is because at 27 weeks your belly has expanded greatly, and see several cars in front of your house. A quick, confused glance in Mark's direction and you can tell straight away something is going on. He pulls to a stop and you have to resist the urge to glare.

"Mark…" you start, voice wary but firm.

He simply turns to look at you and grins. "Now, Red. Don't get upset," he starts but you groan, cutting him off.

"What have you done?" You ask, voice sounding almost like a whine.

"Nothing!" He defends himself quickly, shaking his head. "But you know, Callie was very insistent...and Bailey _kind of_ scares me," he tells you, dramatically playing up a little shiver.

You close your eyes and pout for a moment at his words. You'd said _no_ to a baby shower and you'd thought they'd dropped it. But you suppose you should have known better; neither woman has ever let you get away with much since you've known them. You sigh then, opening your eyes and resolve to not be too mad at them; even though you're incredibly uncomfortable right now.

" _Fine_. Who exactly did they invite? Because if I see one intern," you ask threateningly. You know Bailey's interns are no longer technically interns but you can't help still thinking of them like they are.

"Nope. No interns or first year residents," Mark assures you, reaching over to give your hand a squeeze. "Although I think they did recruit Stevens to do some baking or something? I don't know," he tells you with a shrug. You simply roll your eyes because you're not surprised he doesn't know the details.

"Okay. But who else is here? Cause there's a few more cars then just Callie and Miranda…"

"Oh! Right. Callie, Miranda and Adele, obviously. They made me get in touch with your East Coast friends. So Savvy is here and I invited Nancy and Amy. Nancy came but I don't know if Amy did. And Naomi Bennett. Did you know her and Sam are divorced now too? She did _not_ sound happy to hear from me..."

"Nancy actually came?" You ask, surprised most by the mention of her name. You kept in touch but you didn't think she'd come to your baby shower. She'd been very disappointed in you after her last trip to Seattle and you'd thought you'd ruined your relationship with her. You're even more surprised Mark is still in contact with her. Then again, the Shepherd women have always had a particular soft spot for Mark.

"Yeah," he nods, chuckling a little. "And they wanted to invite _Bizzy_. But don't worry, I told them I'd handle it. I didn't actually invite her, I wasn't sure if you'd uh...even told Bizzy and the Captain about the divorce yet. Let alone the baby, so," he tells you and you can't help but smile a little.

You had in fact notified Bizzy and the Captain of your divorce. But you had not informed them of your pregnancy. It isn't that you are ashamed, because you aren't, it's just that you don't quite know how to tell them you're pregnant by the man you'd cheated on your husband with. You have no doubt your mother would call it unseemly; it's what you'd been afraid of the first time. And you hadn't wanted to let it infect you with this pregnancy. You're happy and the baby is wanted, that's all that matters right now. You weren't ready for Bizzy to ruin that.

"Thank you," you breathe, giving him a small smile. You took a deep breath and made your way out of the car, deciding you should probably go in and face whatever monstrosity of a party your Seattle friends have decided to throw you. You're glad at least, that the party Mark's described, seems to be a small event. Even if this wasn't a surprise, you don't think you'd have wanted something big; you're in your seventh month of pregnancy and you're feeling more uncomfortable by the day.

Mark just grins, following you out of the car. He reaches out to grab your hand, pulling your body as close to his as your stomach allows. His arms wrap around you and he presses a kiss to your temple and you sigh into his chest. "If you really don't want a baby shower, I can get rid of them?" he suggests lightly, his tone is teasing but you know he would absolutely do it if you asked him too. You shake your head though.

"No, it's okay," you whisper against his shoulder before pulling back to look him in the eyes. "I just needed a moment to complain. It is very sweet, really. I just...didn't want them to go to all that trouble."

Mark doesn't say anything, just nods his head and hums in agreement. You let him take your hand and lead you towards your house. There's a little porch out the front and as you glance in the front window, you can see that your front room has been taken over. You sigh a little but follow Mark along into the house.

Though you've been reluctant about a baby shower, your hormones decide to flair up as you see the group of women sitting in your living room. The last two years have been such a whirlwind of change, you'd never expected this at all. Two years ago you'd still been married, fighting an ever growing attraction to Mark, living in New York and the possibility of children any time soon had seemed out of reach. Now though, you realise, you wouldn't ask for a different life.

There are tears welling up in your eyes and they only grow when Nancy, and Amy who Mark hadn't been sure would make it, spring up to greet you quickly. They move faster than any of the other women in the room and you can only put it down to years of practice at Shepherd family gatherings. Nancy gets to you first, she'd been the closer of the two, and wraps you in a hug, grinning at you.

"Look at you! You're so... _pregnant_. You look great Addie," Nancy tells you enthusiastically. She looks genuinely happy for you and you give her hands a squeeze. She's the only one in New York that had known how you'd longed for a child and you're sure this isn't how either of you ever expected it to happen.

"Move Nance!" Amy pushes her way into the embrace, hugging you tightly. "I can't believe you let him knock you up," she laughs, grinning widely and shaking her head as she glanced between you and Mark. You've always had a soft spot for Amelia and you'd thought you'd ruined your relationship with her when she'd caught you and Mark in a rather compromising position. It was not long before the night Derek walked in on you both but Amelia's never uttered a word.

You roll your eyes but you're grinning.

"What can I say? I'm _very_ persuasive," Mark chimes in then and you scoff; as do Nancy and Amelia.

"Sweet talker," you tease, giving him a playful smile. You focus your attention back on your two favorite Shepherd sisters then. "Thank you _both_ for coming. You...really didn't have to," you tell them softly, glancing between them both almost sheepishly.

"No need to thank us. In fact, I was starting to think you'd forgotten about us. Now, I know things were messy with you and Derek, but I still care for you. And you know Mark's basically a surrogate brother. You don't have to completely cut off contact," Nancy informs you, throwing a grin Mark's way. You shake your head at her words, knowing she is at least sincere about them; you're not sure if Liz or Kathleen would feel the same way. You also wonder if Derek knows two of his sisters are in town, you imagine that'd be an awkward conversation.

"Yeah. You're still my sister Addison. Even if my idiot brother divorced you," Amelia spits out, rather loudly. She never did have a very good filter. You simply shake your head at her.

"Alright ladies. I'll leave you all to it," Mark announces, grinning at the room full of women. He turns to you then, giving you a kiss. "Text me if you need rescuing, okay?" He whispers against your lips and you nod, grinning happily up at him.

"Don't worry. I will," you whisper back. "I'm curious how this bunch will mix," you add with a giggle, winking playfully then as you push him away.

He gets the message, winking and waving as he leaves. You watch him go and for a moment you wonder where he'll be off to. He doesn't really have any friends here in Seattle and you know he and Derek haven't fixed anything yet either. You frown a little when you realise most of the people he knows in Seattle are currently in your living room and you hate the thought of sending him off on his own. Maybe he'll go to the hospital but you don't like that idea much, but at least he'd keep himself busy. You resolve yourself to talk to him about his friendship status that night. As you've found out recently, it's important to have friends.

The baby shower is fun and it goes well. You mix and mingle with your small group of friends, especially Savvy and Naomi. You haven't talked to either of them in a while and you do feel bad about that. It's just that there was so much going on in your life since your move to Seattle. You're also pleased to find out that Amelia, as she informs you that's what she likes to be called, is clean and sober and finishing out her residency. You're impressed and happy for her.

Eventually though the shower winds down and they all leave. It was fun and everyone got along, though you're surprised by that. There were a lot of conflicting personalities in the room. Miranda and Callie leave first. The others, your connections to the East Coast insist on a brunch before they all have to fly off back home. Amelia wrinkles her nose at the suggestion and you love Naomi, but she doesn't seem all that keen on the idea either. So you figure brunch tomorrow will just be you, Savvy and Nancy - you're okay with that.

Just as they're leaving, Mark comes back. You can't help but raise an eyebrow at his seemingly perfect timing. You chat with Savvy for a moment more, your blonde friend extracting a promise from you to come visit New York when the baby is born. You agree, even as your attention is drawn to the little conversation Mark and Nancy seem to be having. You can't help but be curious. You wonder if Nancy is passing along a message from Carolyn Shepherd; the woman had never particularly taken a shine to you but you hope you haven't damaged Mark's relationship with her. She's the only mother figure he's ever known.

You want to ask him about it once both Savvy and Nancy are gone. You're waving them off in their rental cars from the front porch, feeling and looking very much like some kind of Rockwell painting. But you refrain. You think it's probably better to let Mark come talk to you about it himself, _if_ he wants to. You know he doesn't have to tell you everything, especially about his feelings on the Shepherd family but you hope he knows you're there and willing to listen if he wants to. You'd never admit it to him, because he'd only tell you not to, but you worry about him sometimes. You don't think his whole life should just be you and the baby.

* * *

Derek is leaning against the nurse's station, a chart in his hands, as you make your way down the hall. You're returning a chart, popping it in the pile and letting yourself lean against the desk a little to rest. You're 33 weeks and four days pregnant and still working and still wearing your ridiculous heels. Both Mark and Dr. Trevino have tried to reason with you about the heels but so far you haven't given an inch, after all, your feet used to hurt all the time anyway. You're not about to admit how good it feels when you get to wear your sneakers during surgery. Not to them at least.

You can feel Derek watching you as you reach for another chart, one hand on your stomach where your daughter is kicking at your insides and the other gliding a pen over the pages. You try to ignore it but then you glance up and your eyes catch his and his expression is unreadable to you. It catches you by surprise, really. You've known him for so long, you never thought there'd come a time when you didn't know what he was thinking or feeling. But you suppose your relationships with him; romantic, sexual or platonic have come to an end. Even though you had thought you two could be friends, his distaste for your relationship, your pregnancy and for the father of your child, has proven otherwise.

"Are you okay?" He asks and you try not to show your surprise. He's barely talked to you in months, not since he realised that you and Mark were having a baby together. His eyes gesture towards the hand resting on your stomach.

"I'm fine," you say, as your daughter kicks inside you. "She's just kicking. She's very active," you tell him softly, if a little warily.

Derek just nods, going back to his own chart and you to yours. It's awkward and you can't focus now, stealing quick glances at your ex-husband. You'd never confronted him about what he'd said when you overheard him and Meredith arguing in the stairwell. You have a feeling he wouldn't take kindly to it. But you still feel the need to try and talk to him in some way, clear the air.

"Are you ever going to forgive us?" you blurt out huffily, before you can really register what you're saying. You look up at him now, standing straight and meeting his eyes. You choose to ignore the doctors and nurses milling about around you.

You watch him as he sighs, his jaw clenching and he brings a hand up to run through his hair. He doesn't look at you and frankly, that pisses you off. He's ignoring you and you hated when he did that when you were married and you hate it even more so now.

"Derek. Are you?" you pester sharply.

"No," you hear him say softly and you feel as if all the air inside your body has left you. "I don't think I _can_ Addison," and he's looking at you now and you don't know what to say. Somewhere deep inside you, you hadn't actually expected him to say no. But the look on his face tells you he's serious.

"What?" you blurt out breathlessly. You're stunned and you know your mouth is hanging open and _oh no_...you can feel the tears forming in your eyes.

You watch him as he shakes his head and closes the chart with a loud slap. He pushes it away and returns his pen to the pocket on his white coat before turning to look at you seriously. He looks hurt and you're pretty sure you look the same.

"You both hurt me in such an inexplicable way Addison," Derek starts, his voice thick with emotion. You're surprised by that; he's been so cold and closed off to you both for months now. "Maybe I could have forgiven you both separately. But not...I can't. Not when you're _together_. Not when you're having a _child_ together Addison. Not when the last 16 years of my life suddenly feel like a lie."

" _Derek_ -"

"No. No! Addison. I'm not in love with you anymore but seeing you have his child? It's too damn much. Anybody else, you could be having anyone else's child but you're not. You're _choosing_ to have his and...he was my _best friend_ Addison. I just **can't**."

"He can still _be_ your best friend Derek. He misses you," you try desperately, basically pleading with him now as he takes a step back from the desk.

You watch as he shakes his head sadly. "No, he can't. Not while you're having his child," he whispers, pain and sadness so evident on his face.

He turns around quickly then, turning his back on you as he makes his way down the hall. You stand there at the nurses station, tears streaming down your face now, feeling more pathetic than you ever have in your life.

.

.

Mark can tell there's something wrong and you know you should confide in him but this is about Derek and you don't want him to be angry or upset either. Though, you are surprised the gossip hasn't reached him yet that Derek made you cry in the middle of the surgical floor. There were plenty of witnesses around and you _know_ the nurses' gossip network works fast.

Or maybe he does know and he's just giving you the chance to let you tell him yourself. Either way, you can see he wants to comfort you or help you in some way and you just can't let him do that. You had been trying to pave the way for a reconciliation between him and Derek but that apparently is not going to happen if what Derek said is true. And that is why you don't want to tell him because the last thing in the world you want to do is hurt Mark.

"Addie, babe," he says, reaching out a hand to grab yours. You have the instinct to pull away but don't because really, you do want some kind of comfort. You take a moment, breathing in deep and exhaling slowly before turning to look him in the eyes. Immediately you can tell that he doesn't know about what happened with Derek because there is only concern in his eyes and not the anger or hurt you expect would be there if he knew. "Tough day?"

His question makes you tear up a little and you truly curse the hormones running amok through your body. You nod a little and let him wrap you in a hug. He feels so strong and warm and his hand is rubbing up and down your back so soothingly you never want it to end. But you know you have to tell him about what happened.

"I...I tried to talk to Derek," you whisper out after a long moment in his arms. You pull back now, still wrapped up in each other, but now you're looking in his eyes. And the _hope_ you see in them breaks your heart just a little bit more.

"Yeah?" Mark replies and you can tell he's trying to play it off cool and not sound eager. You hate this and you hate yourself for tearing them apart.

You shake your head. "He's still so angry Mark… I don't think he's going to forgive us," you tell him softly, _gently._

But Mark frowns and shakes his head. He's still got so much hope that his relationship with Derek can be fixed. "He'll get over it. He has to eventually… He's still my best friend."

Your lips are pressed together and _oh god_ you don't want to do this. But the false hope is going to tear Mark apart. The tears are back again.

"I don't think he will Mark. He said... _he said_ as long as I was having your baby...he'd never forgive us," you manage to hiccup the words out, a hand pulling from his to wipe at your tears. "Damn it," you curse, shaking your head. This wasn't supposed to be about you. "I can't believe I'm crying again," you groan.

"Again?" You hear Mark say gently and you can't look at him as you nod. You realise a moment too late that there's an edge to his voice. You look at him quickly and you frown at his expression. He looks angry; the anger masking the hurt no doubt. "Derek made you cry?" He bites out and you go to shake your head because you don't know how he's jumped to that conclusion.

"Mark!" You start but he's already up and off the sofa and heading for the door. He slams it open and has taken off down the hallway by the time you've even managed to push yourself up off the sofa. You _hate_ that getting up and down takes so much time for you now. Before you were pregnant you'd been able to keep relative pace with Mark. Now you're just _slow_.

You don't know where he's gone but you know he's looking for Derek. It didn't take a genius to figure that out. You waddle as gracefully out of your office as you can, hoping your boyfriend doesn't do anything stupid by the time you find him.

.

.

You're at home and you're alone and you haven't seen Mark since your office. You'd intended to find him but then you'd been called into emergency surgery that took hours and by the time you were out you were exhausted. That usually wouldn't stop you from looking for the man but being pregnant has taken its toll on you. So you simply head home and hope he'll come home soon.

It was getting late by the time Mark eventually showed up at home. You're on the couch, watching some rerun of an old sitcom when he makes his way inside. You hadn't been able to sleep, not knowing where he was or how he was doing. Watching him, you try to determine if he's drunk or not.

He strips off his leather jacket and makes his way towards you. His eyes are a little glassy but his coordination is still good. So he mustn't be drunk you decide, just a little buzzed. And it's only when he's sitting down and you can see his face properly that you notice the bruise on his cheek.

"Mark…" you start carefully, unsure about what you want to say. You think he should talk about it but you're not even sure he'll want to.

"I'm sorry I'm home so late," is all he says, moving to wrap his arms around you. He snuggles into you and you let him, a hand moving to rub up and down his back. "I love you Addison. I love you and our baby girl so much. Don't ever forget that, okay? I'll always, _always_ want you both."

Your heart breaks for your lover at his soft words. You realise now that whatever happened between him and Derek earlier has truly shaken him. You can only imagine what nasty things Derek had said.

You press a kiss to the top of his head. "I know you do. I love you too. Our daughter knows how much you love her too. We're your family Mark. We'll always be yours. No matter what," you promise him, holding him tight.

There's nothing more important to you than Mark and your daughter now.

* * *

You're 40 weeks and five days pregnant and you want this baby out _now_. Oh, you know all the lines; babies come when they want to. You can't schedule a baby. It's placating bullshit and you will not hear of it. You have half a mind to go to the hospital and induce yourself.

The baby is happy and healthy and strong and she should've come five days ago. You're not even feeling any mild contractions and your damn cervix is still closed. Your daughter it seems is in no rush to leave you and you _absolutely_ blame her Sloan side for that. It was in fact a Sloan that put you in this position to begin with and when you'd told Mark that, he'd smirked and replied that you hadn't seemed to mind the positions he put you in before.

You'd thrown a shoe at him and he'd been banished to the downstairs study for that.

Now you're slowly making your way downstairs and towards the study because you want your daughter out of you. You've tried multiple labor inducing 'remedies' over the last couple days and there's one you've still yet to try, one that you know Mark is pretty exceptional at. Not that you would ever tell him that; his ego does not need any more stroking. Finally you reach the bottom of the stairs and you're already dreading having to make your way back up them but for now, you've got a plan to see through.

"Mark," you call out, heading for the study and hoping he's still in there. You can't really blame him from hiding from you lately. You know your mood swings haven't been pleasant, especially once Richard had forced you into maternity leave. At least if you were working, you might've jostled your child into making an appearance in the world by now. As it is though, you're stuck at home all barefoot and _over_ pregnant like some kind of domestic nightmare.

"Uh, _yeah_?" He replies after a moment, head popping out of the kitchen.

You frown a little, waddling his way. "What're you doing?" You ask curiously as you make it into the large kitchen.

"Making a snack!" He exclaims rather goofily, sweeping his hand towards the bench top filled with food. You raise an eyebrow because his snacks look more like he's just been foraging around in the fridge for whatever was in there. "Want something?" He asks carefully, because he knows you've been snappy lately and he'd rather not cause another shoe throwing scene like earlier.

"Yep," you say with a nod, looking him straight in the eyes. "I want you to have sex with me."

The words are blunt and to the point and you can't help but smirk at the way Mark freezes.

"What?"

"Have sex with me. I need this baby _out_ ," you whine, waving a hand low and gesturing between both your genitals.

"Addison…"

"What? We've tried everything else. Please Mark? If anyone can fuck me into labor, _you can_ ," you whine, hoping the ego stroking will do the trick. It usually does. Unfortunately, he's just looking at you kind of dumbly.

He shakes his head then, smirking in amusement and disbelief. It is not his trademark smirk though and you already know this isn't going to go the way you want it to. "That has got to be the least unsexy thing you've ever said to me," Mark tells you lightly, his snacks now forgotten.

You frown and pout and hate yourself for it. "So? I didn't think asking you to fuck me always had to be sexy," you complained. Your arms cross and you huff. "Besides, I'm stupidly pregnant. _Nothing_ about that is sexy anyway," you tell him, the whine clear in your voice.

You're already moving towards the sturdy dining room table. It's just at the right height for you to slowly and carefully lift yourself on top of it. You're wearing a dress and you'd taken your underwear off upstairs. You're ready to go, if only you could convince him to fuck you.

" _Addison_ …" he says your name in such a way that makes you want to groan. Here you are offering yourself up for sex and for once he doesn't want to. It's ridiculous.

You intend to ignore the extenuating circumstance of being overly pregnant. Because really, he put the baby in you, surely he can help you get her out. As far as you're concerned it seems only fair.

" _Mark_ ," you reply in the same tone of voice, glaring at him.

He makes his way closer to you, stopping between your open thighs and resting his hands on your knees. He looks hesitant but you can see his resolve weakening.

"Please Mark? I don't want to have to be induced. But I want to meet her already. You're just _helping_. It doesn't even affect her. Just...poke around down there a little," you tell him, pleading with him really.

You enjoyed being pregnant. You never expected you'd be so desperate to not be anymore.

The laugh surprises you. You hadn't been paying attention to him until you heard his laugh and you frown. It's a full blown, belly laugh and you can't help but be confused as you look at his face.

"What are you laughing at?" You ask a little defensively.

Mark catches his breath, his face still tinged pink at the sudden outburst. He's smiling though, rather happily and he steps closer.

"Just the situation. This was not how I was expecting my afternoon to go after the shoe throwing this morning," he teases lightly.

You simply huff in response. It figures he'd be laughing at you.

You're caught off guard by his kiss though. It's passionate and sweet and you can feel his hands moving up your thighs. You're starting to think the dining room table was not a sensible choice but it's too late to change location now.

"If you really want me to...I'll try to _fuck you into labor_ ," Mark says with a snort. You roll your eyes, already regretting your choice of words from earlier. You should've known he'd use them against you.

Instead of replying, you simply lean back and let him get to work.

.

.

You're pouting. It's been four hours since you and Mark had sex and you're pretty sure nothing has happened. You were counting on Mark's sex powers to put you into labor. And he wasn't even around to try it again.

He'd been called in on an emergency burns case not long after you'd had sex. He worried about leaving you on your own but you'd convinced him to go. You hadn't felt so much as a twinge from the sex; the orgasms he'd given you hadn't even relaxed you for that long either.

You're still so very pregnant and you love your baby girl, really you do. But you need her out of your body. You need to meet her and hold her and kiss her sweet little head. The very idea of you getting to hold your child seems almost impossible to you at the moment - at this point you're pretty sure you're going to be pregnant forever.

Tomorrow though. Tomorrow you will go into the hospital and you will be induced. You've decided it. There's a sharp jab to your insides and you rest your hand over the spot, rubbing a small circle. It seems your daughter isn't too fond of the idea but you don't care; you're going to hold her, physically, in your arms within the next two days. If you don't you fear you might just lose your mind.

You are so uncomfortable it's not funny anymore. The dining table sex was definitely a bad idea, the way your back is cramping every so often is just proof. Either that, or you're getting old and you don't really want to think about that. You're still in your thirties, no matter how close to 40 you actually are.

The back cramps start to worry you when they become more frequent and more painful. It's taken you longer than you'd care to admit that they're actually contractions. Your water hasn't broken yet though and you can't imagine you're very dilated either; not when the contractions are still so far apart. In your expert opinion, and it is _expert_ , you've got some time before you need to be in a hospital.

So, you head upstairs to make sure your bag is packed and so is the baby's. The contractions are still far enough apart that you can get things done between them; like tidy up the bedroom. It's not even that messy but you need something to distract you, to focus on so that it's not just all about the oncoming pain.

By the time your water breaks though, it's been a few hours and Mark still isn't home. The pain is a little sharper now and a little closer together. You don't think you should be driving yourself to the hospital. You have a quick shower and pull on a comfortable maternity dress you've been favoring, knowing you'll have to take it off anyway. The pain intensifies and you're going to have to call someone.

You search through your contacts but Mark is in surgery and so is Callie. Miranda is assisting Mark and Richard isn't able to get away from the board and Adele is out of town. You're starting to think you need more friends in Seattle. You're trying to keep calm but you really should be on your way to the hospital by now and so you dial a number you didn't think you'd have to use.

It's ringing and you consider for a moment that Derek may not pick up. _Oh God_ , the thought occurs that you might actually have to call one of the interns; Karev or Stevens. Even Yang or O'Malley. You'd even suck it up and call Meredith Grey if you had too.

He picked up! "What do you want Addison?" His tone is full of bite and you wince a little. You already know he's not going to be happy about this.

"I'm in labor," you start but he cuts you off.

"Congratulations," he spits out and his tone doesn't sound congratulatory at all. But you do not have time to dwell on his petty aggressiveness.

"Shut up Derek!" You snap, then hiss a little as a contraction hits. That was the most painful one yet. "I'm in labor and I'm home alone. I can't drive myself to the hospital and no one else is available. I...I need your help. Please Derek?" You're not begging but sincerely asking for his help.

There must've been something in your tone of voice because after a beat he speaks.

"Alright. I'll...I'll be there soon. What's your address?"

You rattle it off. It hadn't even occurred to you that he didn't know where you and Mark lived. That he'd never been to the house. It's ridiculous, of course, considering he hadn't wanted anything to do with the both of you for months now. Still, somewhere in the back of your mind you just assumed he knew. After all those years together, it's odd now to think you're no longer a part of each other's lives.

A contraction hits sharply and all thoughts are gone.

You focus on your breathing and when it's done, you pick up your bags and your phone and slowly and carefully make your way down the stairs. You lock up the house and wait outside on the porch. It's not long after you sit down that Derek pulls up and jumps out of the car; he looks worried and you're surprised.

"Are you okay?" He asks and though his tone is gruff, you can sense the underlying worry that permeates his words.

You're in the middle of saying _yes_ when a contraction sweeps over you and you groan. The pain is getting worse with every few contractions. Instead of saying anything else, he hops up the few porch steps and grabs your bags, ushering you towards the car. You always assumed he'd be with you while you were in labor, you'd just never imagined it'd be with another man's child.

By the time you get to the hospital the contractions are close to ten minutes apart. You were trying to time them but you know it hasn't been accurate. Derek helps you out of the car then and into the hospital; for a moment you curse the fact that you'd chosen to have the baby at Seattle Grace. Especially when you see the looks on the faces of the nurses and other doctors as you pass by. You wonder, mildly, who'll be winning the bet on when the baby is born.

"Page Mark!" You hiss out the moment you see Karev on your way up to maternity. He looks surprised but then nods, giving you a grin and a thumbs up.

Derek for his part is still with you until they situate you into a private room. After all you are the Head of OB/GYN and Neonatal; you'd even handpicked your birthing team. An OB Fellow you trust comes in then, to check you over while you wait for Dr. Trevino to arrive.

As soon as your legs are up in the stirrups though, you shoot a glance at Derek, still standing by the door. "Thank you, Derek. Really! But you can go now," you tell him, giving him a genuine and grateful smile.

Your gaze turns back to the fellow then as she checks you over. You're about to ask how dilated you are when you hear a clamor at the door. You turn and grin widely as you finally see Mark, still in his dark blue scrubs. You don't think you've ever been happier to see him.

"Addie!" He exclaims, coming to your side as Derek slips out of the room, forgotten.

You reach out for him as a contraction overtakes you and you hiss, your body tense as the pain washes through you. As soon as you feel his hand in yours, you're squeezing as the contraction goes on. They're definitely lasting longer now and coming faster. You're not even worried about the OB Fellow between your legs anymore.

The contraction passes and you're able to think clearly once again. You try to keep your breathing somewhat normal because hyperventilating at this point would not be helpful. At all.

"Dr. Montgomery, _Addison_ ," the Fellow starts, catching your attention. You look down at her expectantly. "You're only 5cm dilated at the moment, okay? It may still be a while. Someone will be in to monitor you periodically and Dr. Trevino is on her way," the Fellow tells you and you grin.

"Thank you," you tell her sincerely as you shift your legs down from the stirrups. Your back is aching and you want nothing more then to get up and off your back. You sit there for a moment, Mark shifting to sit just beside you, a hand moving to massage your lower back.

"You're in labor," Mark states almost giddily and you don't have to look at him to know that he's probably got a giant goofy smile on his face.

" _Finally_ ," you reply, shifting slowly off the bed so that you're standing now. It feels better, to be standing even if you feel huge and sore.

You're standing in front of him now, a silly smile on your own face as it hits you that you're finally in labor and you're finally going to get to meet your little girl. Excitement bubbles up inside you.

"So...I guess I really did fuck you into labor, huh?" Mark teases, eyes sparkling as he laughs and you can't help but laugh along with him. You knew the moment the words left your mouth that he was never going to let you live them down.

Your laugh however is cut off by a gasp as a contraction rolls through your body. You feel like there's something cinching around your whole body and you lurch forward a little, reaching out to steady yourself on his arms. He's holding you by your elbows and you're doing everything you can to breathe through the contraction and you'd never realised how hard it could be to breathe when you're in pain.

"You okay Adds?" Mark asks and the glare you give him is enough to make him wince. "Right. Sorry. Stupid question," he murmurs, shaking his head. He's still got a hold on you though and you lean forward as much as you can to rest your head against his shoulder once the contraction has passed.

You're being monitored and you know it won't be too long before another contraction hits. He keeps one hand steadying you as the other moves around your body, his fingertips massaging into your back and you sigh in appreciation. It feels good for the moment.

"Can you help me into a gown?" you ask him quietly, once you're alone. Nurses have been flitting in and out of the room until now. You think you might just ban any interns or first year residents from even stepping foot on this floor; you wonder if you could get Richard to agree to that. You are his favorite after all.

"Yeah," Mark replies with a nod, slowly moving out of your grip.

Instead of standing, you decide to walk a little around the room. You find it helps if you're moving around and really, you shouldn't be surprised by that. You've seen enough laboring pregnant women in your time that you've seen pretty much every trick in the book to help get through labor.

Mark lays the hospital gown across the bed and you grimace a little. You know it's easier to wear it but you can't help but hate the idea of actually putting the flimsy gown on and being seen in it. Your vanity takes hold for a moment and you can't believe that other people, people you _work with_ , are going to see you in this state. Hell, you're not happy that Mark is going to see you in this state either; there is nothing attractive about being in labor.

"Need help taking that off, babe?" Mark asks, gesturing to the dress you're wearing as you walk slowly around the room. You look down at it and realise you probably won't be able to lift it up and off yourself.

"Yes. Thanks," you murmur, nodding at him. You make your way to the bed and let him take the hem of the dress and lift it up and off. Your lips are pressed together, hating that he's seeing your body like this, even as he helps you into the gown tying the back closed.

And then your hand is grasping at his as a contraction hits. You're squeezing tightly and Mark's got a hand on your waist, keeping you steady as you try and breathe through it. Your brows are furrowed together and somehow, this contraction feels worse than any of the others you've had so far. You're gasping through the tail end of it when the door opens and you're ready to yell at whoever it is, until Dr. Trevino comes into sight.

"Alright Addison. Once you're ready, I'm going to need you back up on the bed so I can check you. Okay?" Dr. Trevino tells you calmly, giving you a serene smile that you kind of hate. She's snapping on gloves when you finally move to sit up on the bed, Mark helping you and as soon as your legs are in the stirrups, you grab at the sleeve of his scrubs and tug him backwards.

"What was that for?" Mark complains good-naturedly, frowning at you a little.

"You are forbidden from going any further then my waist. Do you hear me?" You snap at him but you are deadly serious. You know exactly what your vagina is going to look like and you will not have him seeing that. "I don't want you seeing me...down there," you insist.

And then Mark, the absolute idiot that he is, has the audacity to laugh at you.

"It's not like I've never seen your vagina before babe," he tells you and the urge to hit him has truly never been so strong.

"I'm serious Mark!" you snap, glaring up at him. "You take one glance between my legs and I will kill you," you threaten him slowly, your words clearly enunciated so he could understand. It must've worked because he frowns but nods his head.

"Alright, alright. I'll stay up here. No peeking. Got it," Mark responds, shifting so he's looking more at your face and his back is towards your legs.

"You're still only at 5cm Addison," Dr. Trevino speaks up from between your legs, standing up from the stool she'd been sitting on. "It may be a while yet. This is your first birth, you know this can last a long time," she tells you as she moves to check the machine monitoring your contractions. An eyebrow raises though as she looks over the results. "Your contractions seem to be coming closer together though. So hopefully you'll start dilating faster. Until then though, you'll just have to wait. Do you want any pain relief? We've got the nitrous oxide if the pain is getting to be too much, now."

You shake your head though. The pain is bad but you don't think it's bad enough for pain medication just yet. You're sincerely hoping the pain doesn't get too much worse because you really don't want to have to get an epidural. You hope the nitrous oxide will be enough, even though it's a fairly uncommon pain relief method.

"Not yet. I think I'm okay…" you tell her, giving her a smile. You chuckle a little. "I'll let you know when I need it though. Don't worry."

Dr. Trevino simply grins and nods as she heads out the door.

.

.

It's been four and a half hours and you feel like crying. The last time Dr. Trevino checked you, you were at 7cm and though that's good, the pain has ratcheted up even more since then. You're doubled over, forearms leaning on the bed, hands clasped together tightly as you suck in as much nitrous oxide as you can - a contraction rippling through you.

"Oh fuck," you groan, tugging the inhaler from your mouth and dropping it on the bed beside you.

Mark is beside you in an instant, large warm hand rubbing circles on your lower back, fingertips massaging at your taut skin and you have to admit that it feels good. Your hair has been pulled up into a messy, haphazard bun on the top of your head but a few strands of hair have escaped their confines, you push them back, letting your head rest on your hand for a moment. The time between contractions is getting smaller and your ability to keep moving is slowly waning too. You know Mark wants to ask you if you're okay but after the last time you'd snapped at him, you know he's keeping his mouth decidedly shut. You're thankful.

You're trying to breathe normally and then another contraction hits you. A whole minute earlier then expected and you don't even realise you're rocking backwards and forwards, tears falling from your eyes. It's too late for an epidural now and you're starting to regret a little that you chose not to have one. But this may be your only child and you're going to get to experience _everything_. The thought kind of terrifies you.

"Get...Trevino," you gasp out, once the contraction ends. You feel Mark moving away from you and you clamp a hand around his wrist. "Not you," you snap and you can't help the irrational anger that shoots through you.

Instead a nurse goes and Mark helps you manoeuvre up onto the bed so that Dr. Trevino can check you once again. Your legs are in the stirrups and your arm is flung over your face as a bout of nausea sweeps through you. _God_ , you really don't want to be sick right now.

"Check me," you order and in any other circumstance, your tone would not be so gruff. But you've been in labor for something like 12 hours now and you just want your baby out of you.

Dr. Trevino smiles at you calmly, snapping on her gloves as she settles on the stool at the other end of the bed. "Okay, let's have a look. _Oh_. You're at 9cm now Addison. That's _good_. Just a little bit longer and you'll be ready to start pushing," Dr. Trevino states cheerfully. And you can't help but wonder if this is how you sound to laboring mothers and whether they hate you as much as you're currently hating Dr. Trevino.

You can feel a contraction coming and grasp around for the nitrous, sucking in as much as you can before the pain rips through you. You close your eyes, squeezing your hands tightly as you try to breathe through the pain. Mark is right beside you, stroking your hair and you can't even manage to swat him away. Dr. Trevino is still in the room, checking over the monitors but for a moment, it was like she didn't even exist, that's how much pain you were in.

The urge to bear down comes over you when your next contraction hits but you frown because you know you're not ready yet. They're only 3 minutes apart now but you know you're not fully dilated yet, Dr. Trevino had told you… "I want to push!" you gasp out worriedly, catching Dr. Trevino's attention.

You struggle to push yourself up into a sitting position as Dr. Trevino takes a seat. Mark is pressed against your side, keeping you as upright as you can go. Dr. Trevino checks you again and shakes her head.

"You're still only 9cm Addison. Don't push yet, okay? Do your breathing through it," she instructs you and you _know_ that. Logically. But you're not 100% sure you'll be able to follow through with it.

You nod but really, you're not sure if you can comply.

Through contractions and puffs of nitrous oxide time seems to move fast then because before you know it, though it's been about half an hour, Dr. Trevino announces that you're finally at 10cm. She's far too joyful in your opinion; when all you can feel is tired and pain.

"Alright Addison, on your next contraction, you're going to have to push. Understand?" Dr. Trevino tells you and you can barely respond. Mark slips onto the bed behind you, bracketing your body solidly. You grasp at one of his hands, you don't even know which one, as a contraction shoots through you and you start to push.

It's the oddest sensation and the pain is so intense you think you might just pass out. You know you're squeezing the hell out of his hand but you can barely comprehend it as a grunt escapes you. The contraction passes and you sink back against his body; he's still holding you up, just like he always has. Now, he's doing it so you can bring his child into the world.

You barely have time to suck in the nitrous before another contraction comes - sharper and longer and you're pretty sure you're screaming now. You're pushing and you can barely hear anything over the sounds that you're making. You're sobbing when the contraction finally passes, tears and sweat mingling down your cheeks.

"You're doing so, _so_ good Red. I know it hurts, but you gotta keep going," Mark is whispering to you, encouraging and you shake your head tearily, still sobbing from the pain.

"Oh, fuck off," you gasp out just as another contraction hits.

Your hand tightens around his as you cry out. You rock forward, pushing just as Dr. Trevino is telling you to. It sounds like she's a million miles away.

"Look at me Addison. You're almost there," Dr. Trevino calls to you and you open your eyes, making eye contact with her. And suddenly you're back in place, feeling absolutely everything. "On your next contraction, I need a _big push_ okay?" she tells you and you realise you can feel the baby. You have an instinct to reach down and feel her but you know she's not there, just yet.

The next contraction comes and you're screaming again, pushing as hard as you can through the pain. You're bracing yourself against Mark's body as you do so.

Dr. Trevino is smiling. "I can see baby's head," she announces as you smile. You lean forward, reaching an elegant hand down to feel for yourself. Dr. Trevino guides your hand and then you feel it, your baby girl's head, it's slimy but she's _so close_.

"Alright, big push Addison. Then her head will be out," Dr. Trevino tells you and you nod.

The next contraction comes quickly and you're pushing, gasping through the pain and holding Mark's hands tightly. "And her head's out!" Dr. Trevino announces, "Another push Addison, as hard as you can."

"I can't...I can't," you sob, even as your body contracts and you push down. All you can feel is pain, it's radiating throughout your whole body.

"Yes you can. Come on Addie. One more push and we'll have our baby girl," Mark is telling you and all you can do is cry and push and you can't believe women have continued to do this throughout time.

With one last strangled sob and push you feel your baby finally slip out of you. You gasp, eyes opening, though bleary with tears you see Dr. Trevino holding your daughter. It seems like forever and then your daughter starts crying and you lean forward, reaching for her. Dr. Trevino hands her over and you cuddle her close against your bare chest, you don't know when you'd untied your gown but you don't even care.

Your daughter is _here_ and she's perfect and all you can do is cry.

All you can do is gaze at her as the nurses clean her up. She's still in your arms and you can feel Mark behind you and when you turn to look at him he's got tears in his eyes too. "Addie," he murmurs, "she's perfect. Thank you."

And you're both just staring at the baby as she roots around and starts to suckle at a nipple. You gasp a little at the sensation, surprised that she took to it so easily. You're tired and sore but in that moment, with your baby at your breast and Mark at your back, everything feels so perfect.

"Do you want to cut the cord Dad?" Dr. Trevino asks and you can feel Mark nod eagerly. He shifts a little, so he has better access and cuts the cord with ease.

You were so focused on your daughter you'd barely noticed what was happening around you. She's fallen asleep now though and you know it's time she gets checked over. You don't want to part from her though and your lip trembles as a nurse comes to take her. Dr. Trevino must notice and gives you a soft smile.

"You know she's just getting checked over and recorded, don't worry. We'll have her back in your arms soon."

"I know," you breathe and you do but that doesn't mean your emotions aren't playing on you.

.

.

Your daughter has been apart of the world for several hours now and you and Mark still haven't stopped marvelling at her. At 8 pounds and 4 ounces, she was on the larger end of the average scale and you're not surprised. You nor Mark are particularly small people.

You're in your own private room and it's just been you, Mark, the baby and Dr. Trevino there. You hadn't wanted any visitors yet, something you know must be hard considering you've had your baby in the hospital where you both work. But you haven't named her yet and you don't want to introduce her until you do.

A name though keeps escaping you. You can only seem to focus on watching her, Mark too. She's got all ten fingers and all ten toes and brilliant dark blue eyes and the cutest little mouth and the Sloan nose and a dusting of dark red hair on her head. She's _perfect_ and you can't quite believe you and Mark have created her. It's all so surreal. And you know you need to name her but you just want it to be the three of you for a few moments longer.

"She's perfect Addie," Mark whispers to you as he cradles her in his arms. He's got his shirt off, leaving him in only his scrub pants, rocking her beside your bedside; the skin to skin contact had really stuck out to him.

Watching him watch your daughter, holding her so gently and carefully, sends warmth through your body. You're so utterly in love with him; even more so watching him with your daughter. He's going to be a wonderful father.

"She is and she needs a name…" you murmur, leaning back in the bed, content to watch the man and his daughter. You can't help but think that the only place safer then your arms are his for your baby girl.

"We had a shortlist didn't we?" he murmurs back, glancing up at you briefly before his gaze drops back down to the baby in his arms.

You nod. "We did," you reply, a name from the shortlist ringing clear through your mind. "What about Kendall? Kendall Montgomery Sloan," you suggest and the name sounds right.

Mark hums, moving to sit down on the bed beside you, handing off your daughter to you carefully. "Kendall Klaudine Montgomery Sloan," Mark echoes back and you raise an eyebrow at the added name.

"It was my grandmother's name. On my mother's side," Mark explains with a shrug and you nod back. It's a perfect name and you think it fits her wonderfully.

"Perfect. That's your name _Kendall_ ," you whisper to your daughter and you both laugh as she gurgles in response, eyes opening wide to stare at you both. "I think she likes it," you say lightly, grinning up at Mark.

"I think she definitely does," he murmurs, nodding. "I love you both so much Addison," he tells you, pressing a light kiss to your forehead. You smile at him, leaning into his side a little as he wraps an arm around your shoulders. He leans forward and presses a light kiss to Kendall's forehead too, her little face squishing up adorably at the contact.

"I love you both too,' you say and it's true. You've never, in your life, felt so much love as you do now for Mark and your daughter. For you, right now, everything is absolutely perfect.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [the mellow rays](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27695720) by [LittleTayy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleTayy/pseuds/LittleTayy)




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